Tell Me Something : Miss Sew & So

Hi all you lovely *Bottom of the Ironing Basket* readers...
I'm pretty delighted to be here...
Simone & her gorgeous blog are a daily read for me...
Cup of tea in hand...I pour over her pictures & take in her words...
A friend like Simone makes this bloggy caper all the more delicious- don't you think...?
 So...welcome to my life...
An Aussie, beach-reared, sandy toed Sydney gal in the gorgeous wilds of the english side...
three bambinos & patient, loving husband in tow...

Over a big pot of tea...this is what Simone had me thinking....

Town or Country?
country by the ocean!


Music or Books?
both everyday


Perfect day?
doing absolutely nothing but sitting in the sunshine in the garden with lunch wafting from the kitchen...


London, Paris, New York or Sydney
my heart belongs to Sydney...but Paris makes it sing & london makes it creative...

Bread or Cake?
hands down...bread & any derivative of...


McDreamy or McSteamy?
a McDreamy gal...


Romantic or Action Hero?
hmmm...can i say an adventurous romantic?


Prince William or Prince Harry?
Harry


Catherine or Pippa?
Kate


Heels or fave winter boots?
boots until those first summer evenings when the season changes...painted toes...dinner outside...heels!


French chic or Italian sex appeal?
flippantly I go from a serious lover of all things simple, chic & french to desperately wanting big hair, bigger lips and an *attitude of drama* whilst in Italy!


Chocolate or coffee?
chocolate & tea


Great shoes or gorgeous underwear?
shoes...shoes...shoes...the australian girl in me likes simple, but lovely, underwear...no lace and absolutely no red!!

Pedicure, manicure or massage?
for total relaxation- absolutely nothing beats a massage...then a big chair in the garden...to paint my own toes...


Talk it out or keep it to yourself?
hmmm...maybe my husband should leap in here!
Why keep it all inside when you have someone you love ready to listen....!?


Karaoke? Up first, last or absolutely-no-way-not-ever....
at home, absolutely first up (much to the continued angst of my gorgeous children!!)
...in public....shriek- no thanks!

1. One beauty product or routine that you would recommend or can't live without?

I cannot live with out No 7 Protect & Perfect Intense Beauty Serum..... , Burt's Bees Lip Balm..., Garnier Sun Protection Lip Care factor 20..., Issey Miyake's l'Eau d'Issey...,CK One by Calvin Klein...& if we are anywhere near the ocean- an early morning swim to get my circulation & energy levels going for the day.

2. One book you would recommend to anyone or that you love and often return to?

"A Thousand Splendid Suns" made me lose all concept of time...each time I picked it up, the rest of my day stood still. With two daughters, I was moved to tears of despair & hope, reading of the lives of the young girls & women in Afghanistan.
(I absolutely agree with you on this book Melissa, it's one of a rare handful of books that made me cry, it's an incredible read. Simone)

3. One item that you would take to a desert island (can't be a person!)?

Hmmm...I would have to say a mosquito net...for both the *obvious* & the *visual* factors...nothing says *tropical paradise* like a mosquito net hung between the trees...

4. One life-changing moment?

The moment our first child was born- my life changed forever....where does all that love come flooding from?...& how does it just continue to flow & grow as the years roll by?
We now have an abundance of the stuff flowing over three gorgeous little souls....



5. One movie that makes you cry every time?


Oh Simone...I have to say I'm a cry-er...big time- good tears, sad tears...all tears really...

I'm ok with this- my kids tease me endlessly-so I should probably list a movie I don't cry in!
Marley & Me gets me as much as Doctor Zhivago!


6. Who would play the handsome hero in the movie of your life?

George Clooney- I don't care that he has commitment issues...it's all good in the movies!


7. How long have you known your oldest friend?

7. My oldest friend, the one that caught my eye on my first day at *big* school, my first real, I-chose-her-myself-friend, was also a Melissa. We were 4 years old & so very, very happy to have found one another.
Our greatest moment was *Book Week*- year 2, when we went as Snuggle Pot & Cuddle Pie- an old Australian bush/fairy tale about two best friend Gum-nut babies....

8. Your favourite book/movie/song?

There is nothing like *One Hundred Years Of Solitude* by Gabriel Garcia Marquez.

I read it the first time on Green Island- a stunningly beautiful island off the coast of Australia...
My favourite holiday reading to date.

9. Three dream cities you have yet to visit?

New York City- I'm plotting big time....Cairo...still plotting & Havana, Cuba...dreaming...

10. Three things still on your bucket list?

How big can my bucket be?
I would love to build a home in countryside by the ocean...have chickens, a larger allotment than our little vege garden & views of the sea...
I'd love to start my own buisness, run from a lovely old shop, with wooden floorboards & high ceilings, where I could sew & drink tea all day...
I'd also like to take our children back to Venice...there is something magical about a city built on the water that I want them to understand...

11. School days - happy or sad, good or bad memories?

I went to school in sandals almost all year round, it was a little primary school over the sand dunes from the beach in Sydney...
In those days- the Northern Beaches of Sydney had a very small population & it was an alternate, pretty organically driven kind of start to life...
Make Do & Mend was the local mantra....so my school days started with a great deal of creative freedom & I pretty much loved them through to graduating from HS...

12. What - or who - always makes you feel better on those more challenging days?

Without fail, every time, my husband & kids...they totally know how I *tick*...they know I need hugs, a lot of laughs & a little space every now & again...

They get unconditional love from me & somehow they seem to just give it right back. In saying that, I think my son recognises the need for *loving* me a bit more some days- but, bless him, he makes sure the girls are up to speed on that!

13. Recommend a blog to us?

A blog that always visually inspires me is Sweet Style by Mrs A in the Cove
Leanne is incredibly creative & life is always lovely at her little place in the blog world...

14. Happier now than you were at 20....honestly?!

Oh what a brilliant question Simone- I can honestly say that I am sooo happy where I am now!
To sit in our country garden in England, 12,000 miles from our beach home in Australia, watching my kids thrive through travel & a love of the world is just perfect...
to do it with the man I fell in love with at 21 is all I can ask for.

Please describe yourself in ONE WORD ONLY :)

LOVING

And finally, what is the one thing you know for sure?

The one thing I know for sure-

Life is not eternal & we should embrace each day with the people we love...


I fell in love with a man a long time ago who shared my desires to have a family...to raise them on the beaches of Sydney , Australia & to take them to live abroad, to help them discover the world...


I know that to live a life we can one day look back on, with gratefulness, passion & a sense of giving our family a true understanding of the world- emotionally, geographically & spiritually- is what I truly hope for.


I know for sure, that our three children, whilst being regular kids, are the most rounded, wonderful, caring, loving human beings we could have hoped for.

I know for sure, that travel allows one to have a real understanding & a true tolerance of all others...that it unites a family like no other experience can...& that it creates life long memories that should be celebrated.


I know for sure, that had we not embraced life, not jumped into the deep end of change with our children in tow, that we'd have missed these endless moments living abroad, that make up who we are....as individuals & as a family...
&
I absolutely know that nothing tastes as good as home-made bread...everyone should make it at least once in their life!

SO...that's me in a nutshell...over a pot of strong English tea...

Simone's *token* Australian girlfriend living in the English countryside...
Trying to fit as many vintage goodies & memories...travel & love as I can into our time living abroad...
I can't hug you enough for having me over here in your *Ironing basket* sweetie...
I've loved it!
Melissa xox

You can find Melissa at Miss Sew and So 

Thank you so much Melissa for a gorgeous post....I had lots of "me too" moments reading this!

You are one special girl XX